Skip to main content

More Bad News for the “T” Pushers

While men – encouraged by a clever marketing campaign – have been lining up around the block in order to “T it up,” the drug companies pushing this alleged “fountain of youth” have gotten more bad news this week.

Toward the end of February, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require that “black box warnings” be placed on packages of testosterone supplements. Furthermore, Public Citizen is stating that the FDA should have done this four years ago. This comes just as drug companies have been ramping up their efforts to push even more convenient forms of testosterone, including topical gels and patches.

Testosterone treatments have been strongly implicated in an increased risk of heart attacks in men. Interestingly – though not surprisingly – 13 studies conducted by drug companies showed no such correlation, but 14 independent studies demonstrated that men taking these treatments were as twice as likely to suffer a cardiac event.

However, an even worse blow to the drug companies came from an unexpected quarter. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has now summarily banned the use of testosterone treatments among professional athletes. Furthermore, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is supporting the ban. In a public statement, the UFC said, “We believe our athletes should compete based on their natural abilities and on an even playing field...we encourage all athletic commissions to adopt this ruling.”

Chances are likely that regulators of professional sports of all kinds will follow suit - yet another nail in the coffin of the testosterone trade.

Testosterone has been touted as a miracle cure for many age-related maladies that men have dealt with for centuries – most of which can be addressed with exercise, proper rest and better nutrition. And, perhaps there is something to be said about simply aging gracefully, as Honoré says in the song from the 1958 musical Gigi.

“The fountain of youth is dull as paint – Methuselah is my patron saint -
“I've never been so comfortable before...oh, I'm so glad that I'm not young anymore!”
- Alan Jay Lerner, Gigi

Learn more about Testosterone Heart Attacks

Customize This